The Best Use of Raw Sugar

The best and only use of sugar in our house is as a body scrub.
Cheap. Easy. Magnificent.
Mix a heap of raw sugar into a double heap of coconut oil and scrub away. Best done in the shower ( the scrubbing that is).
Coconut oil on the other hand is used in many ways in our house: kitchen (cooking and in my raw choc), bathroom (scrub, moisturise, soothe cuts) and bedroom (...) well you get the drift.
To read more about benefits and uses of coconut oil check out this article from Wellness Mama:
http://wellnessmama.com/2072/benefits-of-coconut-oil/
You can use almond oil and add in flavours such as vanilla, lavender, bergamot...
Scrub up,
Nat x

PHAT, FIGHTIN, SUPERFOOD RAW CHOCOLATE

Start with a base of coconut oil and cacao, and add from there. A good basic recipe is about ½ cup coconut oil to 2 TBS of cacao. Mix and place in fridge, or freezer if in a hurry!

Can be poured into any type of container to set, though I usually put it in ice cube trays (as an attempt at portion control).

For my superfood chocolate I did:

½ cup melted coconut oil

1 heaped teaspoon of each of the following:

• ·      maca powder
• ·      mesquite powder
• ·      raw cacao
• ·      almond butter (any nut butter would work, it gives a nice fudgey texture)

I also added in a small teaspoon of spirulina, for some extra nutrients.

Other optional extras: stevia powder or liquid or maple syrup to sweeten, vanilla powder or vanilla essence, peppermint essence, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, dried blueberries or goji...the combos are endless! 

Warning: do not consume at bedtime - this stuff has serious energy boosting powers!

Very Yummy V Day Dinner

Not ones to celebrate V day (having set the bar incredibly low on our first year in which we exchanged cards hastily created on Microsoft Publisher and printed on recycled paper), and being on a tight mortgage induced budget, we opted for dinner at home this year. I'll spare you any other details of the evening and talk about the food...
Entree: Petuna Ocean Trout Salad

This was a throw together of things in the fridge. Ocean trout on a bed of rocket and spinach with cherry tomatoes and roasted spicy pepitas. I love the Petuna brand, it has a lovely smooth texture and is not overly salty tasting like other smoked fish. 

I made a salsa verde style sauce that I used on both the salad and on the beet ravioli. I threw into my trusty food processor a couple of garlic cloves, a handful of mixed fresh herbs (basil, flat leaf parsley and chives), and whizzed together with olive oil and water to achieve the right consistency.

Raw beetroot 'ravioli'
I got the idea for this recipe from the amazing vegetarian blog My New Roots. Instead of stuffing the ravioli with pine nut pesto, I made a garlic chive ricotta.
For the beetroot ravioli: peel and slice beetroot thinly. Use a cookie cutter to cut the beetroot into heart shapes (or any other desired shape). Soak the slices in olive oil, lemon juice and salt for an hour or more.
For the ricotta filling, I whizzed about 600g ricotta with a handful of chopped chives and a tablespoon or so of nutritional yeast flakes to give it a cheesy texture.
To assemble the ravioli, lay one slice of beetroot on the plate, top with a spoonful of ricotta and place another beetroot slice on top to sandwich together. Serve drizzled with the salsa verde.

Dessert: Choc avocado mousse
This is a variation on my previous choc-avocado mousse post, and inspired by a recipe of Sarah Wilson's from her I Quit Sugar program.
2 ripe avocados
1 Tbs chia seeds
1/3 cup coconut cream
2 Tbs cacao powder
sprint of cinnamon
1 tsp Natvia
sprinkle of sea salt
I think this is supposed to serve 4-6 peeps (oops). Process all ingredients in the food processor or other mixer. Spoon into cups and place in fridge to set.
I served it with cut strawberries, coconut chips, grated dark chocolate, and lots of love!

Enjoy!

Apple Berry Pie

Managed a quick pic before demolition!

I recently purchased a cookbook that has become my new fave: "Make It Paleo: over 200 grain-free recipes for any occasion". Written by Hayley and Bill of the Primal Palate.
As always I started experimenting from the dessert section first. And as always I can never leave a recipe alone, so I modified their Almond Four Pie Crust recipe to suit me.
Last week in our organic vegie box from Aussie Farmers Direct we received a truckload of delicious red apples. Upon seeing the apples husband promptly requested an apple pie. For once I heeded his request, so here is my apple-berry pie recipe (gluten free and dairy free).


Nat's Apple Berry Pie
Crust
2.5 cups almond meal
0.5 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
0.5 cup coconut oil
2 sachets Natvia 
2 tsp organic vanilla powder
0.5 tsp cinnamon
few shakes pink rock salt
Throw all ingredients in the food processor and mix until a dough forms. Press the dough into a round pie dish and bake in a moderate oven for about 15 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slighty.
For the filling:
6-8 apples, thinly sliced
1 cup raspberries fresh or frozen
handful shredded coconut
handful toasted walnuts
cinnamon and vanilla powder
Layer the apple slices and berries over the crust. Sprinkle the apples with the coconut and walnuts. Top with some extra cinnamon and/or vanilla if desired. 
Bake in moderate oven for about 30-40 minutes.
Enjoy with thick organic yoghurt. 
x
You can use the crust for any other types of pie or cheesecakes. 

The Big O: Orange Cake

This luscious cake is gluten and dairy free and very low in sugar. It uses almond meal and coconut flour instead of flour, which makes it full of 'good' fat and fibre. 

Yet another fabulously easy recipe that makes the food processor do all the hard work.
You need:
3 large or 4 small organic oranges
6 eggs
1/4 cup organic pure maple syrup
2 cups almond meal
1 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
6 tsp Natvia
1/2 cup fresh orange juice, if needed
Do this:
Boil the oranges until soft. Allow to cool slightly then chop into pieces and place in the food processor. Blend until smooth, then add the eggs and maple syrup and blend again. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder and Natvia and process again. (Not: the coconut flour tends to absorb a ot of liquid, so if the mixture looks too doughy, aqueeze in some extra orange juice).
Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes.
Serve with natural organic yoghurt or ice cream. 

Lovely Lasagne

I recently harvested my first lot of home grown veggies, and this luscious english spinach was one of the first I pulled from the ground.

The leaves were so huge I decided  to use them as a layer in a lasagne, as a replacement for pasta sheets. I tend to think pasta is a waste of space, so would much rather boost the veggie count in a dish than fill it with gluten! 


Recipe:
Meat sauce:
500g grass fed mince beef
1 jar organic tomato passata
200ml stock, plus extra water
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
extra veggies/herbs to your taste
Brown mince with onion and garlic. I have found that if I cook it all together (instead of browning the onion an garlic first), the meat absorbs all the delicious flavours and is much tastier. Add in any extra veggies, stock and passata and cook until thickens. 
White sauce:
500g organic quark cheese
1 cup organic full cream milk
a few shakes nutmeg
Place cheese, milk and nutmeg into food processor and blend until smooth.
Layer the lasagne:
Lay down spinach leaves first, follow with meat sauce, 
then white sauce. I added in a sneaky layer of mashed pumpkin for a touch of sweetness.
Repeat layer once or twice more. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan if you wish, and bake until browned on top.
Yummmmmmm!
(oops - we ate it before I could take a photo of the finished product!)
Nat x

Quinoa (re)Quest

blog.beauty-goodies.com

My dear friend recently requested some quinoa recipes. So Kate, this one's for you.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a fantastic grain. It is gluten free and high in fibre. It is a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids, as well as decent amounts of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus. Quinoa grain (which is actually a seed) has a consistency similar to couscous but a slightly nuttier texture. You can buy it in white, red or black forms, and it is also available as flakes (similar to oats), and processed products like pasta and flour. 

Quinoa can be used as a side dish, in salads, or as a breakfast porridge. I've also used it to make risottos and sweet puddings. It is fantastic as a replacement for bulghur in tabbouleh.
Quinoa needs to be rinsed thoroughly before cooking, to remove the bitter tasting saponins which coat the grain. It also has a nicer flavour if you dry toast it before cooking. It is quick and easy to prepare: simmer 1 cup of quinoa in 1.5 cups of water until all water is absorbed.
There are a plethora of fantastic quinoa recipes on the net, so I'm going to be lazy and refer to some of my faves instead of posting my own (forgive me Kate!):

• I love this one from The Food Coach - a pilaf with preserved lemon and slivered almonds. I like to add cumin roasted cubes of pumpkin. 
• This recipe for quinoa with spring vegetables and pesto from one of my fave blogs, Gluten free Girl and the Chef looks delicious.
• Mushroom and walnut quinoa from the amazing Cannelle et Vanille. 
• Warm salad of roast cauliflower and quinoa from The Stone Soup. 
• Quinoa salmon burgers and Moroccan quinoa pilaf from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen. 
• She Let Them Eat Cake makes some fabulous Adzuki Bean and Quinoa Veggie burgers. 
• Try this Mexican quinoa from whyveg.com
• And for something sweet, try this quinoa pudding from Healthy Living...delice!

What have you created with quinoa? 

Keep me posted!

Nat x